1. Field of the Invention
The preferred embodiments of the present invention relate, inter alia, to an air cleaner for a vehicle, such as, e.g., a motorcycle, and a motorcycle equipped with the air cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Vehicles, such as, e.g., motorcycles, are generally equipped with an air cleaner for purifying air to be supplied to an engine (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-211661, hereinafter referred to as “Patent Document 1”). The air cleaner includes an air cleaner case and an air filter element disposed in the air cleaner case. The air cleaner case is provided with an inlet for introducing air and an outlet for releasing air. The air filter element is arranged between the inlet and the outlet. An intake pipe for introducing air to an engine is connected to the outlet.
In the air cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1, the outlet is positioned above the air filter element. An intake opening of the intake pipe opens obliquely downward at a position above the air filter element inside the air cleaner case.
When an air cleaner is used for a long period of time, its air filter element becomes clogged with grit and dust (hereinafter simply referred to as “dust” or “foreign matters”), which deteriorates purification performance. This requires maintenance, such as, e.g., cleaning or replacement, of the air filter element.
For the maintenance of the air cleaner, the air filter element is required to be detached. During detachment of the air filter element, foreign matters attached to the air filter element may fall into the air cleaner case.
As described above, in the air cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1, the intake opening of the intake pipe faces obliquely downward at a position above the air filter element. Therefore, even if foreign matters fall during the maintenance, the foreign matters do not enter into the intake pipe.
In some vehicles, however, it is preferable to arrange the intake pipe such that the intake opening faces upward or obliquely upward at a position below the air filter element. Such a structure, however, may cause falling of foreign matters attached to the air filter element into the intake pipe during the maintenance of the air cleaner. As a result, the foreign matters that fell in the intake pipe may cause, e.g., shortened engine life.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. For example, certain features of the preferred embodiments of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages and/or providing certain advantages, such as, e.g., disadvantages and/or advantages discussed herein, while retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.